The state and two tribes say there's documentation that the Tohono O'odham Nation was secretly planning about a decade ago to acquire land for a Phoenix-area casino at a time when the Tohono O'odhams were among tribes promising to limit the number of casinos in the metropolitan area.

An Arizona tribe with plans to build a casino and resort on property it purchased near Glendale scored a key victory Tuesday when a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Department of Interior rightfully awarded reservation status to a section of the land.